


The Beginning & The End

by Polarnacht



Series: Parabatai [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Beginnings, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Happy Ending, M/M, Polyamory, Second Chances, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25337797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polarnacht/pseuds/Polarnacht
Summary: Jace stays behind in Edom, giving Asmodeus willingly his energy to keep Alec save. When Asmodeus is about to draw his last life force, he decides to reward Jace and give him a new chance to live his life - without him knowing that this is a second chance.Will he make different decisions or will everything just stay the same?Final part of the Parabatai series
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Series: Parabatai [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827145
Comments: 13
Kudos: 55





	The Beginning & The End

„You’ve done well, angel boy.“

Jace looked up through half-lidded eyes. His hand was slightly shaking when he ruffled his grey hair tiredly. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when he had stayed behind in Edom with Asmodeus, but it certainly hadn’t been that. Asmodeus wasn’t exceptional cruel, but he slowly drained Jace of all his life force. It didn’t hurt that much, not as much as it had to lose Alec.

The longer Jace stayed in Edom, the more his memories fainted. Asmodeus fed of his angelic powers to boost his own energy, and the more he took, the more Jace slipped away. Soon he forgot what it felt to be out in the sun on earth, he forgot how food tasted like, he forgot how words felt in his mouth. But what he would never forget was how it had felt to kiss Alec. He would never forget the pressure of his lips, the smoothness of his skin, the movement of his tongue. It had just been one kiss, one kiss to last an eternity.

“You’re dying.”

It was true, Jace felt it. But he was beyond caring, too much of him was already gone.

“But you kept your end of the deal, so maybe I should reward you.” At the beginning, Jace had briefly considered trying to escape. But Asmodeus’ wrath would have been eternal, and he just couldn’t risk Alec. He just couldn’t. So he had stayed.

Jace blinked with tired eyes. Asmodeus looked at him, a watchful expression on his face before he bent over him. He put both his hands on Jace’s temples, the way he had done it countless times before to feed from his angelic energy. Fallen angels like Asmodeus could gain a great deal of power from freely given energy like that. Jace didn’t squirm or fight, he knew better. It even didn’t hurt that much anymore, it was more a tugging than a pain. This time, however, it felt differently. There was a tugging but also a swirl that was about to absorb him. Asmodeus chuckled while he increased the pressure.

“This time do everyone a favor, little angel. Kiss that boy in time.”

It was the last thing Jace heard before the swirl crashed over him in a wave and his consciousness was uplifted and twirled around.

***

Jace woke with a start. His heart beat feverishly in his chest. His mind needed a bit time to shake the dream he had had and to realize what day it was. It was the date of his Parabatai ceremony. Of _their_ Parabatai ceremony. Soon, he wouldn’t be just Jace anymore. He would be Jace _and_ Alec. He was excited. He was agitated. And he was a little bit scared. There was a _what if_ ringing in his head, a _what if_ he heard not for the first time, but had ignored so far. But it was louder now. More persistent. Clearer. Jace bit his bottom lip. He was not supposed to see Alec before their ceremony. But Jace had never been one to be superstitious or follow the rules for that matter. He just needed to see Alec one more time. He just needed to shut up the what if. He just.

“Jace.” Alec looked up. He was already dressed in their ceremonial gear. “We shouldn’t…”

But then Jace was in front of him and that was all that mattered. Alec's lips were still slightly parted as if to continue his sentence, when Jace pressed his to Alec’s. Their kiss was dreamy as only first kisses could be, first kisses that were truly longed for. Their kiss was messy with way too much teeth and tongue, neither having practice. It was clumsy and just the way it was supposed to be. The _what if_ finally fell into place and an exclamation mark replaced the unspoken question. When Jace drew breathlessly away, his eyes were shining bright, the awe reflected in Alec’s gaze. There was no way to go back now, their path was set. They would not become Parabatai.

***

Jace watched while Alec’s world burst into flames. He stood at the sideline and all he could do was watch while his lover’s world was shaken to the core. He watched and then turned away to go. He went, but he was followed.

“Jace.”

Alec grabbed his shoulder and swirled him around. They faced each other, flushed, breathless. Jace looked in those eyes that where so familiar to him, more than his own. And he knew. Because it was Alec and he knew him inside out.

“I let you go, Alec.”

And Jace felt his heart was about to break, but just before a crack could go through it, right in the middle, Alec’s lips were pressed to his.

“No, Jace, it’s not like that. I never want to be let go by you, Jace. Never. It’s just…”

“You love him, too.”

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean I love you less. I love you so much, Jace. It’s more like… When Max was born I instantly fell in love with him. But that didn’t made me love Izzy any less. I love them both, not the same but equally. I just loved more, not less. And it’s like that with Magnus.”

And then he kissed Jace, a kiss full of promise, of trust and love, as just the thousands kiss could be.

“If he’ll hurt you, I’ll hurt him.”

“I think he knows that, but he never will.”

“Good.”

They kissed again for the thousands time and one.

***

The moment Alec saw Jace, he started to run. He didn’t stop until his arms were wrapped around his lover. He didn’t know what had happened, but something had. It had taken him just one look at Jace to know something was distinctly not right.

He felt Jace shake in his arms, before he started to struggle against him. Jace pushed and punched him in the chest, but Alec wouldn’t let go. He just held him close.

“I died, Alec. I died and I was alone.”

Jace tried to punch Alec harder, to pull away, but Alec was strong.

“You’re never alone, Jace. I’ll never let you go.”

Finally, Jace stopped to fight and started to cry. Tears mixed with the dirt on his face while his body relaxed into Alec’s strong hold.

“I died, Alec.” His body was shaking, but he had stopped to fight.

“But you came back.”

Alec kissed away his tears, he tasted the mud and the salt, the sweetest taste of all.

“You came back, and I’ll never let you go.”

***

Alec sank to his knees while he watched Magnus turn around to go, to close the riff to Edom, to save the world and him. He didn’t know how he should go on with his life, when a part of him would be gone.

“No.”

It was not him who spoke aloud but Jace. He reached for Magnus to turn him around.

“Take my energy. Take Alec’s as well. If you take all our strength, it will be enough. It has to.”

Magnus looked at him.

“Are you sure Jace?”

“Of course I am.”

Magnus reached for Jace, who was embraced tightly by Alec. When they connected, Magnus gasped in surprise. Something inside of him seemed to recognize Jace. He reached deep into his own powers and unleashed them, to combine them with Jace’s and Alec’s. Jace went lax under his grip, his angelic powers fueling the Prince of Hell. He sacked into Alec, his vision went dark, but the last thing he saw was the riff closing under Magnus’ magic.

***

Alec woke up, wrapped in Shadowhunter and Warlock. He smiled when he felt both of them. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was, to not have found one love but two. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have both, just in the way he wanted. With a heart unbroken and whole – because they had never been Parabatai.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story/series, feel free to drop a comment or leave kudos. Thank you 💙


End file.
